The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has broken a major international drug cartel with ties in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said the breakthrough followed the interception of a Sydney-bound cocaine shipment at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on August 26. The consignment, hidden inside 76 cartons of lace fabrics, contained 17.9kg of cocaine valued at N5.3bn. He added that charms were found with the drugs, allegedly for “spiritual cover.”
The first suspect, a freight agent identified as Olashupo Michael Oladimeji, was arrested while trying to process the shipment. His confession, Babafemi explained, exposed the network’s structure and key players.
Investigators later tracked down Muaezee Ademola Ogunbiyi, described as the cartel’s coordinator in Nigeria. He was arrested on September 3 at a hotel in Ikeja GRA. A search of his Lekki residence uncovered 21 parcels of Canadian Loud cannabis weighing 10.9kg, a pump-action rifle, and cartridges.
Another top member, Shola Adegoke, was picked up during a raid at the group’s packaging hub in Ikeja. Officers recovered 17 parcels of Loud weighing 9.6kg from the premises and a parked Range Rover SUV.
Babafemi disclosed that both Ogunbiyi and Adegoke were repeat offenders. Ogunbiyi had served 14 years in a UK prison for murder before relocating to Nigeria, while Adegoke was deported in 2024 after serving a UK jail term for methamphetamine trafficking.
At the top of the chain, NDLEA identified Adebisi Ademola Omoyele, also known as Mr. Bee, as the ringleader. He is believed to operate from Dubai, where he oversees the cartel’s international logistics and finances.
Meanwhile, the agency carried out other raids across the country, seizing large drug shipments and arresting suspects. Highlights included: 160,200 bottles of codeine at Onne Port, Rivers State; 625kg of cannabis in Surulere, Lagos; a couple arrested in Ajegunle with 24.4kg of skunk; 342kg of skunk seized in Onitsha; and 18,750kg of cannabis destroyed on farmlands in Taraba State.
“The operations mark one of the biggest coordinated crackdowns against transnational drug syndicates in recent years,” Babafemi said.
He assured that NDLEA would continue to hunt down traffickers “no matter where they hide” and called on communities to share intelligence with the agency.
